


Running Away is Easy

by FeverTheSpirit



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adulthood, Anxiety, M/M, Marriage, Married Couple, Married Life, Multi, Same-Sex Marriage, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26220082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeverTheSpirit/pseuds/FeverTheSpirit
Summary: When Nino and Adrien were 18, Adrien decided that he couldn't take life with his father anymore. Gabriel wouldn't allow him to let his and Nino's relationship become public and demanded he break up with Nino and be sent to a private college to further his modeling career. Adrien decided to convince Nino to run away with him, stealing money from his father and moving to a quaint little village in the countryside of France, not telling their friends for fear their secret might accidentally get blown,giving up their lives as Carapace and Chat Noir for good. 4 years later, Adrien and Nino, now married, decide to return to Paris to tie up loose ends. Adrien, going by Adrien Lahiffe is the most reluctant to come back. Will he be able to face his past after building a comfortable life with his husband?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

_4 years ago_

_"What do you mean Break up with Nino ?!?" Adrien exclaimed to his father. Adrien had came to tell his father that he wanted to make his and Nino's relationship public bit before he could get the words out, he dropped a bomb on Adrien by saying 'I want you to break up with Nino'_

_"He's bad for your image." Gabriel said. "If you're ever going to be a professional model, you can't have him holding you back, I've allowed your childish relationship to go on long enough."_

_"It's not childish ! I love Nino and Nino loves me!" Adrien shouted. "Father, I am 18 and I can make my own decisions and if I want to stay with Nino, I'm going to stay with him !"_

_"Not while you're living under my roof you're not." Gabriel said. "I already sent in your application and you're going away."_

_Adrien was so mad that he couldn't even speak. He glared at his father as he moved past him, ignoring his father as he called his name and demanded he not walk away from him. Adrien made his way to the room, slamming the door and sitting on his bed, burying his face in his hands. Not being with Nino ? Nino wasn't just Adrien's boyfriend. He was his best friend and his soulmate and Adrien didn't know if he could live without his soulmate.. He started thinking. What was it his father said to him ? He couldn't make his own decisions while living under his roof ? Maybe that could change. He took out his phone and started texting Nino._

_'Bring some clothes, whatever is most important to you and however much money you have and meet me at The Seine.'_

_He pressed send. He sighed and looked down at his ring. Next was the hard part. Giving up his Miraculous. Giving up being Chat Noir. He knew Nino was Carapace and he was Chat Noir. They told each other a year after they started dating, when they were 16. They honestly had a long laugh about it and no one felt betrayal or anything. It was funny. He wondered if Nino was going to willingly give up being Carapace. Would Nino even agree to running away ?_

_~_

_At around midnight, Nino showed up at The Seine. Nino leaned against the bridge. He noticed Nino was carrying a blue suitcase._

_"Okay, I'm here." Nino said. "What's this about ?"_

_"Isn't it obvious?" Adrien asked, pulling his green suitcase close. "We're running away."_

_"Running away?" Nino asked. "What do you mean running away ? You do know if you're even missing for an hour, your dad will make Mayor Bourgeois have every cop scope all of Paris and drag you back home, right ?" He asked. "He has a tracker on your phone !"_

_"That's why we're not staying in Paris." Adrien said. "We'll hop on a train and go somewhere far away." He said. "And I already threw my phone into the river"_

_"And why do you want to do this ?" Nino asked._

_"My father wanted me to break up with you... he's also sending me away to this school where I can be a better model." Adrien said._

_"Wait, what?" Nino asked. "Adrien, you're 18, he can't do that to you."_

_"Well, he said as long as I'm living under his roof, I'm not allowed to make my own decisions... so I want to move away from under his roof, far away." Adrien said._

_"What about our superhero lives?" Nino asked. "We can't just up and leave."_

_"I contacted Ladybug, she should be here after we leave, we'll leave our Miraculous items here and I wrote a note." Adrien said. "She'll understand."_

_Nino let out a deep sigh. He was conflicted. He was hesitant to give up his Miraculous but he wanted to be with Adrien. Nino took a deep breath._

_"Well, we are getting a little too old for these." Nino said. "How would we even be able to juggle adulting and superhero work ?" He asked. "It's better that Ladybug find someone younger."_

_"You say that like we're old men." Adrien said with a chuckle. "So... you're coming with me ?"_

_"Of course I am." Nino said. "I can't picture my life with our you."_

_"Great." Adrien said, leaning over and kissing Nino's cheek._

_"But if I get caught and get booked with a kidnapping charge, you better confess." Nino joked. Adrien laughed. They looked at each other before they both removed their miraculouses. Adrien took his ring off and Nino removed his bracelet._

_"Goodbye Plagg..." Adrien said softly._

_"See ya Wayzz." Nino said. Adrien put the miraculouses in the envelope the note was in before sealing it and setting it down, making it was secure yet noticeable for Ladybug. The two looked at each other._

_"How much money do you even have?" Nino asked._

_"€1160.72" Adrien said. "I stole some from my dad since he leaves his wallet and keys in the bowl next to the door so they don't get lost and combined it with my leftover birthday money from my aunt."_

_"I have €267.86." Nino said._

_"That'll be enough to get our train tickets and some more." Adrien said. "You remembered your ID, right ?"_

_"Of course I did, you said take whatever's most important, right ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded and grabbed Nino's hand._

_"Let's hurry to the train station before I foolishly change my mind."_

_~_

_Getting the tickets and boarding the train was surprisingly easy for Adrien. He had no second thoughts. He had no urges to turn back. He actually had the urge to get out of Paris as soon as possible. He settled in his seat as Nino loaded their luggage in the overhead carrier before sitting next to Adrien._

_"Are we going to tell anyone about this ?" Nino asked._

_"As much as it hurts me, no, we can't tell them." Adrien said, leaning his head on Nino's shoulder. "They might accidentally let the cat out of the bag and expose us."_

_"Even when you're not Chat Noir, your ability to make puns in weird situations in phenomenal." Nino said._

_"it wasn't intentional." Adrien said with a pout. Nino kissed the top of his head. It was going to be a 6 hour train ride to their new life. Adrien was happy to be starting a life with the man he loved. So was Nino. Even though he would miss his friends, his mom and Chris, he knew they would understand. Hopefully. Maybe he'd sneak off and call them whenever they got settled. Until then, he had to focus on building his new life with Adrien in a different place with only their closest belongings, whatever money they had left and each other._


	2. Chapter 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Adrien and Nino's quiet little life.

4 years later 

~

Adrien woke up to arms wrapped around him. He opened his eyes, a warm ray of sunlight hitting his face. He yawned and shifted, looking at Nino. Nino was still fast asleep. Adrien smiled, pressing a kiss on Nino's nose. 

"Nino, we have to get up." Adrien said, nuzzling his nose against Nino's, giving him an Eskimo kiss. After a while, he heard Nino groan softly.

"But why ?" Nino asked with a soft whine. "It's Saturday, which means we can sleep in."

"Do you want breakfast or not?" Adrien asked. Nino's eyes shot open. 

"That's what I thought." Adrien said with a laugh, pulling away from Nino. Usually, he and Nino did sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays, something Adrien enjoyed because his father never allowed him to sleep in. Adrien stretched. 

"I'm going to go start on breakfast, you can take a shower if you'd like." Adrien said, getting out of their cozy king sized bed. 

"Why don't you go take a shower while I go cook ?" Adrien asked, watching Nino put on his glasses. 

"What fun is a shower if you're not taking one with me?" Nino asked with a fake pout. Adrien only laughed and shook his head.

"Fine, I'll take a shower with you after breakfast you big baby." Adrien said before leaving the room and going to the kitchen. He was thinking that omelets on rice would be a simple enough breakfast. 

~

"Breakfast is served." Adrien said, putting Nino's plate in front of him before sitting across from him and eating from his own plate. "Have you heard from your mom ?" 

Nino had gotten back into contact with his mom last year after he and Adrien had gotten married. He figured she deserved to know. Nino's mother Farah was relieved to hear back from the two after three years but was upset that they just ran off. Nino explained what happened and why they had to keep minimal contact and she eventually understood. 

"Yeah, she said she at least wants us to visit." Nino said. Adrien froze. 

"Nino, you know we can't do that." Adrien said. "If my father ever got word that we were back in Paris, he would have you arrested and say that you kidnapped and brainwashed me, have me declared mentally insane and have me released into his custody!" He said, his breathing picking up a bit. He always got worked up when they discussed going back to Paris. 

"Adri, you're overreacting." Nino said. "You're 22 years old, your dad can't do anything to hurt you." 

"We worked hard to build this quiet life, you have your job as a music teacher and we've made new friends here." Adrien said. "Cyril, Jasmin, Remy, Cécile..."

Adrien and Nino had the fortune of making new friends when they moved to the small village of Emelle. 

Cyril Cazenave owned the town's grocery store and when Adrien and Nino were struggling to settle down their first year here, Cyril gave them free groceries until they could find jobs. 

Jasmin Azaïs was the local librarian and let Adrien work there when he and Nino were strapped for money for their marriage license. Jasmin used to live in Paris too but moved to Emelle for some peace and quiet. She actually knew of Ladybug and Chat Noir but didn't feel safe with so many people getting akumatized or how she put it "randomly turning into monsters."

Remy and Cécile Allaire were a young married couple who ran a small café called Jolly Treats Café. They made the best Coq Au Vin. He and Nino usually went there for date nights. And he didn't want to give this up. 

"I'm not saying we move back to Paris." Nino said, shaking his head. "I'm just saying that we go back for a couple of weeks and give our old friends an explanation, they probably think we're dead or something." He said. "And I really miss my family... I haven't seen Chris in years and you know how close we were."

Adrien let out a sigh. 

"Look... I'm sorry for being selfish and I shouldn't let my fear of my father get in the way of you seeing your family." Adrien said. "I'm going to think about it and maybe we can go visit for a week or two."

"That's all I ask sweetheart." Nino said, reaching over and putting his hand over Adrien's, giving him a smile.

~

Adrien stared at the pot of stew he was cooking. It was missing something but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He dipped his spoon in the stew again before taking a sip. Ah-hah, that's what it was missing! Adrien went into the fridge, taking out a bottle of red wine, removing the cork with his teeth before pouring some in. He set the wine aside when he put in the right amount, taking the cork out of his mouth a stirring the stew before taking another taste. He nodded in content. Perfect. Adrien wasn't by any means a master chef but he thought he came a long way. After he and Nino settled down in their cottage, Adrien picked up the cooking, which Nino was hesitant about since Adrien couldn't even make ramen noodles without burning the kitchen down, but since Nino was going to work, Adrien had to do something. He didn't want to let Nino go to work and then come home and have to cook, so after 4 years of practice and a few housefires, Adrien became a decent cook. Adrien put the lid on the stew, letting it simmer as he walked into the living room, plopping himself down the couch. It would be ready in a few minutes so Adrien had some time to relax until Nino came back with the dessert from Jolly Treats Café. Adrien started thinking about what Nino said during breakfast. Going back go Paris. Maybe Nino was right. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Hell, maybe no one would even recognize him. And it wasn't like he would be going by Adrien Agreste. He was Adrien Lahiffe. What were the chances that someone would recognize him anyway ? He hasn't been in a magazine or advert since he was 18. His hair was also longer and he kept it swept to the side. He also had reading glasses now. There was no way anyone would recognize him. His anxieties and fears started to ease away as he heard the front door open.

"I got the last two pieces of cheesecake from the café !" Nino called out. Adrien stood up and went over to him, kissing his cheek. 

"I've given it some thought and I think it will be okay for us to go back to Paris for a little while." Adrien said.

"Really ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded. 

"It would be nice to see your family....I can't keep you from them and I know you miss Chris." Adrien said. 

"That's sweet of you Adrien." Nino said. He then sniffed the air. "That stew smells so good !" He said. "We can plan later, let's eat !"


	3. Chapter 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Adrien go back to Paris.

"When will you guys be coming back ?" Jasmin asked. She and the rest of Adrien and Nino's new friends were seeing them off at the train station. Their train left in fifteen minutes. 

"We won't be gone for long." Adrien said. "We'll be staying in Paris for only a couple of weeks."

"Besides, how could we ever abandon Emelle? Especially after all the things you guys have done for us ?" Nino asked with a laugh. 

"Cyril... Jasmin... Remy and Cécile... you guys made our lives so much easier and we appreciate you guys for that." Adrien said. "Emelle wouldn't be our home without you guys and your friendly atmosphere."

"Guys, you're gonna make me cry." Cyril said, wiping away his oncoming tears. 

"We'll make sure to make you guys a big pot of Coq Au Vin when you get back !" Cécile said. 

"And some raspberry cheesecake too, on the house !" Remy said. They all pulled Adrien and Nino into a group hug. 

"Train to Paris leaving in five minutes." The speakers said. Adrien and Nino pulled away. 

"We have to go, we'll see you guys soon!" Nino said, grabbing Adrien's hand. They waved to their friends as they went to board the train. Adrien took a deep breath. As they stepped on, showing their tickets to the conductor and going to their seats. Nino took Adrien's suitcase and went to put them in the overhead carrier. As Adrien took his seat, he started to take deep breaths. Was this a good idea ? Was he starting to feel regret ? Why were his instincts telling him to run off of this train and run back to his cottage? Why did he want to convince Nino this was suddenly a bad idea ? Why did it feel like he couldn't breathe ? He felt like he was drowning. When he went to speak up, his mouth felt very dry. Nino sat next to him, holding his hand. 

"I wonder if everything is still the same back in Paris." Nino said. Adrien tried to speak but he couldn't. Nino noticed Adrien's total silence and noticed that his hand was shaking. Nino wrapped his arms around Adrien and started to rub his back. 

"Hey... I know you're nervous but I promise nothing will happen to you and if your dad somehow finds you, I won't let him hurt you." Nino said. He pulled away, holding up Adrien's hand and kissing his finger that his wedding band was on. It was a simple silver band since Adrien didn't want anything too flashy, but on the inside of the ring, Nino had 'Mr Adrien Lahiffe' carved as a surprise to Adrien on their wedding day. Adrien cried tears of joy when he saw it and said he would never take it off. 

"We're husbands and that means we have each other's backs." Nino said, kissing his finger again. Adrien sniffled and pulled Nino into a tight hug. With Nino there, Adrien had nothing to fear. His husband had his back. 

~

"Remember all the girls in class that had a crush on you ?" Nino asked as they boarded off the train. 

"Dont remind me." Adrien said. "There was Chloe, Lila, Kagami..."

"Marinette." Nino said.

"Marinette did not have a crush on me." Adrien said, pulling his suitcase and following Nino.

"When I was dating Alya, she told me everything, Marinette was crushing on you hard, like on a stalker level." Nino said. "I'm talking shrines, stealing your phone and even breaking into your house and going into your room." 

Adrien's cheeks turned red. She was in his house ?!? In his room?!? 

"She also memorized your schedule... I get we were teenagers but it was pretty creepy." Nino said. 

"And I thought my crush on Ladybug was creepy." Adrien said. "We should have made our relationship public after we started dating at sixteen."

"That would have definitely broken some hearts and I'm pretty sure they all would get akumatized and try to kill me." Nino said, flagging down a taxi. A taxi pulled up, the driver getting out of the car and putting Adrien and Nino's suitcases in the trunk while they got in the back seat. 

"I swear they were unhealthy obsessed with me." Adrien said, resting his head on Nino's shoulder. "I'm glad we never went through a 'crushing' phase, we just knew that we were right for one another."

"Cause you're my best friend and we already knew everything about each other and we were always in sync." Nino said with a chuckle. "Like when we both came out as bi at the same time."

"That was hilarious." Adrien said. 

When they were both sixteen, Nino and Adrien met up with each other and they had the bright idea to come out to each other in the same way. When they met up for school, they both noticed they had the same bracelets that were the color of the bisexual pride flag. They laughed about it when they both noticed they had the same idea. Luckily for them, their school was full of oblivious teenagers that thought they just had matching friendship bracelets with cute colors. That's when the two realized they were starting to fall for each other. 

The taxi driver started to drive after Nino told him their destination, which was a hotel room not too far away from his mother's house. 

"Tonight is usually date night." Nino said. "Maybe we should go out tonight ?"

"Where do you suggest ?" Adrien asked, tilting his head up to look at Nino. 

"We can just walk around like we used to and find some place." Nino said, shrugging his shoulders. 

"What if we go to a bakery, get some cupcakes and have a stereotypical kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower ?" Adrien asked. "Cyril did ask for pictures of the Eiffel Tower, we can just take a cheesy one for our memory scrapbook." 

Adrien had started a scrapbook shortly after he and Nino moved to Emelle. It was a book of memories commemorating their new life together and Adrien never missed an opportunity to put a picture in their scrapbook. He had even brought it along for their visit. 

"You are obsessed with that scrapbook." Nino said with a chuckle.

"You can never have too many memories." Adrien said. "And besides, what if we have children ?" He asked. "They'd love to see pictures of their fathers when they were young and in love."

Nino and Adrien had talked about having children in the future. They both agreed to wait until they were twenty-five and look into adoption and surrogacy. 

"We'd still be young and in love." Nino said. "Even when we're old and wrinkly, we'll still be young and in love." He said, pulling Adrien close to him. Adrien chuckled. 

"Nino that makes no sense." Adrien said.

"It'll make sense to us and that's all that matters." Nino said, pressing a kiss on Adrien's temple. 

~

Nino and Adrien placed their suitcases aside. Adrien looked at the bed that the two were supposed to share while staying in their hotel room. 

"What is this bed, a queen-sized one ?" Adrien asked. 

"All the rooms with king-sized beds were booked." Nino said, shrugging. "We'll just have to make due with this."

"With the way you sleep, that'll be hard." Adrien said, taking his jacket off and tossing it onto the armchair.

"What's wrong with the way I sleep?" Nino asked, crossing his arms. 

"Nino, you either move around too much or you like to hold me tight." Adrien said, looking at Nino. 

"I thought you loved it when I held you tight ?" Nino asked with a pout. 

"When we have a king-sized bed so I can at least move my arms and legs to get comfortable." Adrien said. "I can't do that with a queen."

"If you're gonna be a baby about it, I'll sleep in the armchair." Nino said, still pouting. 

"Don't be silly, we'll figure it out later." Adrien said. "Right now, let's go visit your mom, she must be eager to see us."

~

Nino took a deep breath and knocked on the apartment door. Why was he so nervous? Was it because it had been four years since he's seen his mom and little brother in person? Nino and Adrien waited until they heard the door unlock. A short, plump woman with brown skin, thick glasses and short brown hair opened the door. She was wearing nurses scrubs. It was Farah Lahiffe, Nino's mother. 

"Ma ?" Nino asked, feeling tears in her eyes. Farah immediately pulled Nino into a hug.

"Christ Nino, I haven't seen you in so long !" Farah said, sniffling and letting her tears fall. "I've missed you so much." Farah then pulled away from Nino to look at Adrien. 

"Oh wow, look at you Mr Agreste." Farah said. "You've changed a lot, haven't you?"

"Well, I don't go by Mr Agreste anymore." Adrien said. "I go by Mr Lahiffe, so I guess you can say I've gone through some major changes."

"You two should've called me, I missed my eldest son getting married !" Farah said. 

"I know, I know, but Adrien brought our photo scrapbook and he took tons of pictures of our little ceremony." Nino said. "We can show you and Chris."

"Oh, I would love that!" Farah said letting the two inside. "Chris!" She called out. "There's someone here to see you !"

The three heard footsteps and Chris rounded out from the hallway, not looking up. He was texting on his phone.

"That boy, he's always on his phone, just like you were." Farah said, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, Chris, You're not gonna say hi to your big bro?" Nino asked. "I'm hurt !"

Chris dropped his phone as he looked up to see Nino and Adrien. Chris gasped, running and hugging Nino.

"Oh man, you've gotten big !" Nino said, hugging his brother tightly. 

"I missed you Nino !" Chris said, hugging him back. The two separated.

"Man, I have a lot to catch up on." Nino said, looking at Adrien.

"Take as long as you need." Adrien said with a smile, happy to see that Nino was reunited with his family.

~

"This is when Nino and I took a rowboat to the lake for our honeymoon." Adrien said, pointing at the picture of him and Nino on a rowboat. "After we took the picture, Nino lost one of the oars and we were stranded until a fisherman found us."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, my hand slipped!" Nino said with a pout. Farah and Chris laughed. Nino couldn't believe Adrien brought the scrapbook with him in his carrier bag. Nino checked his watch, not knowing how late it actually was. He and Adrien were there for a total of 2 hours!

"Ma, Adrien would love to show you more pictures tomorrow." Nino said. "We have to go take our picture in front of the Eiffel Tower before it gets too dark and crowded, we promised our friends we'd take a picture."

"As long as you come back for lunch tomorrow, like you promised !" Chris said, the twelve year old holding his brother and brother-in-law to their promise.

"Of course we're coming back tomorrow Chrissy." Adrien said. "I never break my promises to you and neither would Nino."

"Good !" Chris said, giving Adrien a hug before he went to hug Nino. Nino pet his hair before the two made their way to the door, leaving. Nino held Adrien's hand. 

"Ready to go, Mr Lahiffe?" Nino asked.

"Certainly, Mr Lahiffe." Adrien said with a smile.

~

"This Café looks nice." Nino said, pointing at a café.

"Boulangerie Patisserie ?" Adrien asked. "This place feels familiar." 

"Probably because it's across from our old school." Nino said with a smile. "The place still looks the same." He said, turning back to look at their old school. Adrien looked back. It really did look the same. The memories started flowing back. 

"Remember we had our first kiss in the storage room closet?" Adrien asked with a chuckle.

"It was cramped and damp and you were hiding from Chloe and Lila because it was Valentines Day and all you wanted was to have lunch with me since it was our first Valentines Day as boyfriends." Nino said.

"And they kept interrupting our plans." Adrien said. "So we ran into the storage closet and because of the adrenaline rush, I kissed you."

"I was surprised that you kissed first." Nino said, leading Adrien into the bakery. A bell chimed when they walked in.

"Just a minute !" A female voice said. Nino and Adrien approached the glass counter, looking at the treats inside. 

"Look at these little coffee cakes." Adrien said. "We should get these instead of the cupcakes."

"They do look good." Nino said, placing his arm around Adrien's shoulders. 

"I'm sorry for the wait, I had to-" the female voice trailed off. Adrien and Nino looked up from the glass case, to see a long haired ravenette with her hair in a braid, wearing a pink apron. She looked shell-shocked. 

"Are you okay?" Nino asked, seeing that she was silent. 

"Adrien?" She asked. Adrien looked at her, squinting. His eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Marinette?!?"


	4. Chapter 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Adrien run into some familiar faces.

What happened to you guys ?!?" Marinette asked. "Everyone was looking for you two, Adrien's father is still having the police look for him non-stop, it's like you two just vanished from the face of the earth !"

Marinette didn't know how anxious Adrien was getting. Adrien took Nino's hand and squeezed it tightly. Nino caught onto the signals.

"Look, Marinette, it's a long story and Adrien and I just had a long and exaughsting trip, if it isn't too much trouble, can we just get some coffee cakes and go ?" Nino asked.

"Guys..." Marinette said. Marinette then shook her head. "Nevermind, I'll get you to those coffee cakes." She said, moving away from the counter. Nino then turned his attention back to Adrien. 

"Hey, Adri, Look at me." Nino said, caressing Adrien's cheek and making him look at him. "Breathe."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect to run into someone so soon, is all." Adrien said. "I'm okay now, promise." 

"I'm just making sure, you know how worried I get when you get like this." Nino said, letting go of Adrien's cheek.

"I'm so sorry for getting so worked up over something so trivial." Adrien said, looking down and frowning. 

"It's a natural reaction." Nino said, putting his hand on Adrien's shoulder. 

Soon, Marinette came back, coffee cakes wrapped in clear parchment paper in her hands. Nino took them and quickly payed for them.

"I hope we can talk about what happened to you guys soon..." Marinette said. "Everyone is worried, wondering what happened to you... you had everyone scared."

"We'll try to pop by later." Adrien said. "It was nice seeing you Marinette, and by the way, don't tell anyone that we're back yet."

"It was nice seeing you too, Adrien." Marinette said. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Adrien grabbed Nino's hand and they took their leave, walking out of the bakery.

"You think she noticed the wedding rings?" Nino asked. Adrien shook his head.

"I don't think so." He said. "If she did, she would've said something."

"You're right." Nino said. "Let's hurry up and go take our pictures, it's almost nightfall and the picture would be way more romantic under the stars than the daylight anyways."

~

Nino and Adrien arrived at the Eiffel Tower, seeing the other couples taking pictures. 

"Let's hurry and take our picture." Nino said. "It would've been better if we had both of our coffee cakes though."

"I was hungry and you know I have a sweet tooth." Adrien said with a small pout. Adrien had always had a sweet tooth, but because he was a model, he wasn't allowed to eat sweets. He had to 'Keep his figure'. Now that Adrien had seperated from that life, he could eat whatever he wanted, but he still had the bad habit of scarfing down sweets instead of savoring them, for fear he would be caught by someone, though knowing that Nino would never scold him for eating what he wanted. Nino often joked that nobody fed Adrien, which was partly true. When he was a model, he was always put on diets and food restrictions. That's why Nino didn't make comments whenever Adrien asked for seconds or thirds on whatever they were eating. He loved it when Adrien felt comfortable to indulge a little. Instead of 'No you can't eat that Adrien' 'Think of the calories Adrien' 'You don't want to get fat Adrien' it was 'Sure, we can get some food Adrien' 'Would you like some more Adrien ?' 'Your metabolism always amazes me, you look so thin Adrien, here, have some more.'

"It's fine, we can split my coffee cake in the picture." Nino said. "We just need someone to take our picture." Nino looked around as Adrien took his handheld camera out of his bag. Nino spotted a girl, walking by while typing out something on her phone. He approached her, tapping on her shoulder. The girl looked up at him.

"Can I help you ?" She asked, with a bit of attitude. The girl had tan skin, green eyes, and a bob cut with bangs. She looked a little familiar to Nino but he decided not to comment on it.

"Sorry to bother you, but can you take my partner's and I's picture ?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy." She said. Nino just shrugged and turned away.

"Sorry Adrien, we have to find someone else !" He called out. 

"That's alright Nino." Adrien said, giving Nino a smile.

Adrien ? Nino ? Those names...

"Wait a second, that was mean of me !" The girl said, walking past Nino and approaching Adrien. "I'll gladly take your picture !" She said, holding her hand out for the camera.

"Really ? Thank you !" Adrien said, giving her the camera. He motioned Nino over and Nino wrapped his arm around his waist. "You just push the top button and it'll take the picture."

The girl nodded. Adrien and Nino got into their pose, both taking a bite of Nino's coffee cake, looking each orher in the eyes. Adrien gave her a quick thumbs up and the girl took the picture. 

"I got it !" The girl said. Adrien thanked her and went to retrieve his camera. 

"Are you two tourists?" The girl asked. Adrien shook his head. 

"No, just visiting family and taking pictures for our friends." Adrien said, taking his camera back. "Thanks again, see you later." He said before walking over to Nino. "I'm ready to go back to our hotel room."

"Let's be on our way, Mr Lahiffe." Nino said, wrapping his arm around Adrien's waist. 

"Certainly, Mr Lahiffe." Adrien said as they started to walk away. The girl watched them walk away. So her suspicions were correct. She took out her phone and looked up the name 'Adrien Agreste' and some photos of a younger Adrien popped up. He may have looked different bur she knew it was him. But why was he going by Adrien Lahiffe? She did spot a ring on his finger that matched the ring on Nino's finger. That was certainly interesting. Someone could cause some damaging drama with the information she had. But she fed off of drama. Lila Rossi was her name after all, and causing drama was her professional game.


	5. Chapter 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Nino get some infuriating news.

Adrien and Nino had been in Paris for two days now, and things were going perfectly. Adrien's anxiety hadn't reared it's ugly head and the trip was almost like a second honeymoon. 

"And, here's one more for the scrapbook!" Adrien said, taking another picture at the park, where Adrien used to have some of his gruesome photoshoots for his modeling career. But Adrien wasn't in these photos, oh no. He was taking a picture of Nino, who was being followed by some baby ducklings. The ducklings had separated from their mom, who was currently in the fountain. 

"Adrien cut it out, they think I'm their dad !" Nino shouted. "I'm not ready to be a father!"

"Stop being a baby." Adrien said, rolling his eyes. He pointed at the fountain where the mother duck had hopped out. "See ? She just wanted a break and she's coming to collect her ducklings now." Adrien heard the mother duck quack. The ducklings cheeped and went towards their mother's quacking, leaving Nino alone. Nino sighed in relief.

"Thank God that nightmare is over." Nino said. Adrien chuckled.

"Oh don't say that, I thought you were a pretty good surrogate papa." Adrien said, putting his camera in his carrier bag. 

"Really?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded with a smile. 

"Maybe we can consider looking into having a kid later" Adrien said. "You'd be a good papa."

"You're too sweet, but I think you'd be the better papa." Nino said, kissing his cheek. He grabbed Adrien's hand before they started walking.

"Wait, so if I'm papa, who are you gonna be ?" Adrien asked.

"Our future kid can call me baba, it's basically the same thing." Nino said, lifting Adrien's hand up and kissing it.

"What should we do next?" Adrien asked.

"I see an ice cream cart, wanna get some ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded. 

"I'll sit on this bench and look through the photos, you know which flavor to bring back." Adrien said, winking at Nino. Nino only rolled his eyes as he jogged off towards the ice cream cart. Adrien sat down on the bench, taking his camera back out and looking through the photos he took of Nino in the park. He smiled at the photos, knowing they'd be perfect in his scrapbook. Adrien looked up as he heard gasps and giggles. He looked up to see two girls, looking at him, whispering and giggling to themselves. Adrien arched an eyebrow in confusion. One of the girls a girl with short brown hair approached him.

"Excuse me, but are you Adrien Agreste ?" The girl asked. Adrien felt his heart stop as his throat became dry all of a sudden.

"N-No, what makes you say that?" Adrien asked hoarsly, trying to clear his throat. The girl's smile fell. 

"Oh sorry, it's just that I was a big fan of his modeling work when I was younger before he went missing and you look a lot like him." The girl said. "Sources said he was spotted in Paris with some other guy and that he's married."

"Well I'm not him, my name is Athanase Lahiffe." Adrien lied, using one of his 5 middle names as his first, trying to get the girl to back off of him. The girl only nodded.

"Well sorry to bother you Athanase." She said before running back to her friend. Nino came back with two ice cream cones. Banana for him and strawberry for Adrien.

"What did she want ?" Nino asked. 

"She recognized me." Adrien said, his hand shaking. "Who's telling people that I'm back ?"

"The only ones who know are Mama and Chris but they would never tell anyone." Nino said. 

"Marinette knows..." Adrien said. "She's the only other person that knows."

"You don't think she told anyone, do you ?" Nino asked. 

"We'll go find out after we finish our ice cream." Adrien said, a small frown on his face.

~

Adrien and Nino made their way into the bakery. Adrien was angry as Nino tried to call him down. 

"Adrien, we don't know for sure if Marinette said anything to anybody." Nino said, walking in front of him. "Just let me do the talking." 

Adrien huffed and crossed his arms, looking away. He was pouting. Nino didn't admit it out loud but Adrien looked so cute. Adrien approached the counter, where Marinette was talking to someone. 

"Oh, Nino, you're back!" Marinette said. The person Marinette was talking to turned towards Nino. Nino recognized her off the bat. It was Alya.

"Wait, Nino's back?" Alya asked "Mari, why didn't you tell me ?" 

"He and Adrien didn't want me to tell anyone." Marinette said. "I had to keep my promise."

"Wait, Adrien's here too ?" Alya asked, whipping around to see Adrien , leaning against a table. 

"Wait, so you didn't tell anybody ?" Nino asked. 

"No, of course I didn't Nino." Marinette said. "I didn't even tell Alya and she's my best friend!"

Adrien stood up, walking towards them.

"So if you didn't tell anybody, who's spreading around that I'm back ?" Adrien asked. "This afternoon, two girls recognised me and said that sources are going around saying I'm back and I'm married."

Alya arched her eyebrow. She took out her phone and started searching Adrien's name in her browser. Something popped up. 

'Woman Claims To Be Wife of Gabriel Agreste's Missing Son' she read. Alya looked up at Adrien.

"Uh.. You may want to take a look at this." Alya said, passing him her phone. When Adrien read the title. His eyes almost bulged out of his head.

"I'm not married to any woman !" Adrien yelled. Adrien clicked the article, scrolling through it. When he saw the name of the woman claiming to be his wife, it all clicked.

"Lila Agreste ?!?" Adrien yelled. "She's saying I brought her a wedding ring with a big ass diamond and that we've been hiding in England for the last 4 years because my father didn't approve of her and that we came back because we missed our families!" Adrien was SEETHING ! He gave Alya her phone back. Nino wrapped his arms around him to calm him down. 

"You need to chill." Nino said. "I get you're pissed but all Lila wants is attention." He tipped Adrien's chin up so he could look into his eyes. "We both know you're married to me, and nothing is gonna change that."

"Wait, you two are married ?!?" Marinette and Alya exclaimed at the same time. "For how long ?!?"

Nino and Adrien started to think.

"Well, we officially tied the knot last year but we've been together for about seven years." Adrien said, much to Alya and Marinette's shock. Nino and Adrien held up their hands, revealing their wedding rings.

"I'm now Adrien Lahiffe." Adrien said with a smile. 

"But-What-" Marinette felt like her brain was going to explode. 

"We started dating at 16, right after we came out as bisexual to each other." Nino said. "Then we left Paris because Adrien's father wanted us to break up while he sent Adrien away." 

"That's so messed up !" Alya said. "I'm so sorry you guys had to leave in order to be happy with each other."

"I still remember the next day where the police were looking all over for you two after you left." Marinette said. "Your dad wanted to send police outside of Paris to look for you but it was outside of their jurisdiction."

"We all thought something bad happened to you." Alya said. "Nino's mom cried for days..."

"I know and it hurt me so much to do that to her but we've reunited and she knows I'm safe." Nino said. 

"Does your dad know you're back ?" Marinette asked. Adrien shook his head.

"I didn't plan on him knowing but now that Lila is spreading these lies, he might know now." Adrien said. Nino's eyes widened in realization. He snatched Alya's phone, despite his own phone being in his pocket.

"Hey, that's expensive !" She yelled, hitting Nino's shoulder. Nino ignored her. He went on Instagram and looked up Lila's account from their school days. Luckily it was still active. Nino showed Adrien the profile picture. It was the girl from the eiffel tower that took their picture !

"I should've known !" Adrien yelled. "No wonder she was so eager to take it !"

"What, what is it ?" Marinette asked. Nino showed her Alya's phone.

"She took our picture at the Eiffel Tower and we didn't recognize her at first." Nino said. "That's how she knows we're back in Paris."

"And she's spreading these lies because she knows I won't come out and correct her to keep my privacy." Adrien said. "I knew coming back to Paris was a bad idea..."

"Adri, what if you make a statement?" Nino asked. "You can go on your abandoned Instagram account and post something, letting them know that you're not married to Lila, nobody has to know you're here but they'll know Lila is a liar and assume that she's saying you're in Paris for attention."

"That's a great idea Nino." Marinette said.

"Yeah, then this whole thing will blow over." Alya said. "Despite your father still sending people to look for you."

"Well, he can't force me to do anything anymore." Adrien said. "I have built a peaceful life with Nino and this time in going to stay and fight for him instead running back home without another word, he's my husband and we have each other's back." 

Nino hugged Adrien.

"Aww babe, I'm glad I finally got through to you." He said, pressing a kiss on his cheek "Now you finally know you're in control of your own life." 

"I have you to thank for that." Adrien said, leaning into Nino. "I left my phone at the hotel, can I use yours?"

Nino gave Adrien his phone. Adrien took a deep breath and unlocked the phone, clicking on the Instagram app and logging into his old account. He hadn't used it since high school. He had so many unread messages and notifications, mostly from classmates and a few fans of his modeling career, praying for his safe return and that he was found again, being tagged in multiple posts. But he wasn't here for that. He took a deep breath and decided to make a text post. Something simple. 

"Hey all. It's been a while. I'm alright. I live a quiet and cozy life with someone I love. That someone is not Lila Rossi or as she says Lila Agreste. We are not married. I am married, to a husband who's the love of my life, In a small town where we've made new friends, where I can be who I want because I know I'll always have him to support me. Lila is a blatant liar, please don't believe her and please stop looking for me."

He sent the post, logged out and gave Nino his phone. Nino logged into his own account, seeing the post.

"Aww, babe, you're so cheesy." Nino said. "I'm the love of your life ?"

"If you weren't the love of my life, we wouldn't be married right now." Adrien said, leaning in to kiss Nino.

"You two are so in love that it's actually making me sick." Alya said. 

"It's so sweet that it's giving me cavities." Marinette said.

"What about you guys ? You guys find anybody yet ?" Nino asked. 

"I'm married to my work right now." Alya said.

"Same, my parents trusted me with the bakery while they're out on a cruise, I have rarely gotten a break." Marinette said.

"What about when people got upset in high school and turned into those freaky monster things, does that still happen?" Nino asked.

"From time to time." Alya said. "Its not as frequent as it was in high school."

"That's actually why one of our friends from our town moved from Paris to there, she said she didn't feel safe in Paris anymore." Adrien said.

"Well Ladybug, Rena Rouge and everyone else have been protecting Paris... except for Carapace and Chat Noir.. they disappeared." Alya said.

"I hope they're alright, what if something bad happened, like they got seriously injured?" Adrien asked, playing dumb. "I had such a crush on Chat Noir, dude was a total hottie." Adrien said, making Alya and Nino laugh and Marinette's face go into complete shock. 

"Sweetheart, you're making me jealous." Nino said. 

"Don't worry, I only have eyes for you." Adrien said chuckling. 

"We should go, Adrien and I promised mom we'd drop by." Nino said. "It was nice seeing you two again, we should go out for drinks later." 

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Alya said. "We can meet up later tonight if that works for you."

"I'll DM you on Instagram, we can totally hang out at our hotel's bar." Nino said. "If that's fine with you, babe." He said to Adrien.

"Sure, that's fine with me." Adrien said. "But we should really get going right now, we'll see you guys tonight." He said, leading Nino out of the bakery by his hand.

"I can't believe Lila would do that though." Nino said.

"I can." Adrien said, as he and Nino started walking. 'She thrives on lies."

"You think she'll get akumatized or something?" Nino asked.

"We're emotionally stable adults, if me telling the truth akumatizes her, then that's not our problem, not anymore at least." Adrien said. "I'm not just going to ignore lies spread about who I'm married to." Adrien knew he sounded harsh, but he was still angry about the situation. Nino could tell. 

"Let's stop thinking about it for now and go to Mom's, okay ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded, still pouting a little. Nino couldn't admit it out loud but Adrien looked too damn cute with that pout.


	6. Chapter 6.

-6 years ago-

"Dude, how long are we going to stay in this closet?" Nino asked, shifting. Adrien was pressed against him. They were both in the storage closet.

"When I'm sure Lila and Chloe aren't looking for me." Adrien said. "It's our first Valentine's Day together as boyfriends and I just wanted to have lunch with you... this isn't very romantic at all." Adrien sulked, face pressed against Nino's chest. 

Nino chuckled softly and moved his hand, running his hand through Adrien's soft hair. 

"Well, we're together and very close right now... I wouldn't want to spend Valentine's Day any other way." Nino said, trying to cheer Adrien up. Adrien looked up at Nino, with his shining green eyes. Before he could think, Adrien had pressed his lips against Nino's, Adrien's hands on his chest, eyes closed. Nino's eyes fluttered shut as he kissed the blonde back. They stayed like that for a moment before Adrien pulled away for air, both of them gasping a little. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Love." Adrien said, burying his face in the crook of Nino's neck to hide his blush.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Babe." Nino said, holding Adrien. He could stay like this forever, holding Adrien in his arms. Even if they were in a cramped storage closet.

~

-Present Day-

"And that's basically what happened our first Valentine's Day together." Adrien said, sipping his wine. He and Nino were telling Marinette and Alya stories from their relationship. Alya laughed and Marinette let out a quiet giggle. 

"It was a Valentine's Day I'll never forget." Nino said, taking a swig from his beer. "Though I was jealous of all the Valentines and presents you were getting from girls and fans alike."

"Those meant nothing to me compared to the time I spent with you in the storage closet." Adrien said resting his head on Nino's shoulder. Nino wasn't able to tell, but when he glanced at Marinette, he swore that he saw a small frown on her face for a split second. It must've been the lighting. 

"You guys are going from sweet to grossly in love again." Alya said, taking a sip of her martini. 

"Look how handsome he is, I can't help but to fall." Adrien swooned, holding onto Nino's arm. Nino chuckled.

"Adri, cut it out." Nino said, playfully. But he was glad that Adrien was getting more comfortable with his surroundings and showing off his more playful side. Either that or the alcohol was loosening him up. Adrien only let out a content hum as a response and buried his face in Nino's shoulder. He felt so nice.

"So, what do you guys do at your new home?" Alya asked, trying to distract herself from Adrien's loud... purring ? 

"Well, I'm a music teacher." Nino said, petting Adrien's hair. "It's an easy job and I know all there is about music, and the kids show great potential."

"What about you, Adrien?" Marinette asked. 

" 'm a househusband." Adrien said, not moving his face from Nino's shoulder.

"You ? A househusband?" Alya and Marinette asked in disbelief. Adrien looked up from his husband's shoulder.

"Uh-huh." He said. "I do the cooking and the cleaning and the homemaking and when Nino and I have kids, I'm gonna stay home and care for them." He said. "Sometimes I work at the library when we're strapped for cash."

"Yeah, you're tipsy alright, you lightweight." Nino said, sitting Adrien up. "Adrien is a househusband but I assure you, once we have kids, we're both gonna pull our weight completely." 

"Are you going to adopt or consider surrogacy ?" Alya asked.

"We're not sure yet but we're leaning more towards surrogacy." Nino said. "We're thinking twins so that we'd have one baby each that's genetically related to us or have just have one baby and if we decide to have another one... you get the idea."

"I can't believe how long it's been... last time I saw you, you were talking about becoming a famous DJ, now you're an adult, settled down with a quiet life, a husband and now you're talking about kids." Alya said.

"Well, things change." Nino said. Adrien frowned a bit but hid his face in Nino's shoulder. He got to thinking. Adrien was a bit selfish, asking Nino to run off with him out of the blue, that he kind of forgot about Nino's dreams. Was Nino truly happy with giving up his dream for Adrien ? Did he even want a quiet white picket fence life in the first place ? Adrien's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash. People started screaming and running. Oh no.

"Where is he ?!?" A shrill voice asked. Adrien, Nino, Alya and Marinette all stood up. There, an akumatized Lila stood, her skin pale, wearing a black wedding dress, holding a bouquet of roses and her hair done up like the bride of Frankenstein. Adrien was way too tipsy for this shit. He hadn't even noticed that Alya and Marinette ran off. Nino stepped in front of Adrien. 

"Go hide, now !" Nino said.

"Forget it, I'm not leaving you." Adrien said, holding onto Nino's arm. They two then heard a dark chuckle.

"There you are !" Lila said. "How dare you keep me waiting on our wedding day !"

"Wedding day ?" Nino said Adrien asked in unison, looking at each other. Lila launched something that grabbed Adrien by the wrist. A veil ? Nino tried to get it off of him but it was no use, Lila being able to pull Adrien away from Nino and wrap the veil around Adrien's body as some sort of restraint, carrying him bridal style. 

"Nino !" Adrien yelled. Lila only cackled. 

"Say goodbye to your hubby !" She said. "You're mine now !" Lila threw her bouquet at Nino. Nino doged and the bouquet exploded. Exploding boquets ?!? Who does that ?!? "Sorry Nino, but you're not invited to the wedding !" Lila started to take off. Nino caught a peek under her gown, seeing that it had propellers underneath that enabled her to fly. He might not have been Carapace anymore but he sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and wait for Ladybug when his husband was being snatched. Nino's body was in flight or fight mode and right now, his body chose fight. Nino launched himself at Lila, grabbing her by the waist just as she took off. It was crazy and borderline suicidal, he knew, but he couldn't just sit around ! Lila lost control of her flight pattern since Nino threw her off balance. 

"Hold on Adrien, I'm getting you out of this!" Nino said, having a death grip on Lila.

"Nino, are you fucking insane?!?" Adrien yelled, fearful of both of their lives as Lila started spinning out of control. When she got her balance back, she growled at Nino and started to kick at him. 

"I'm sorry, but we haven't got to the 'objection' part of the ceremony yet !" She said, trying to shake him off but Nino refused to let go. Lila scoffed before getting a devilish grin on her face. Shifting Adrien to one arm, she pointed a ring at Nino. 

"What are you going to do with that cheap ring ?" Nino asked, scoffing. Lila only smirked before a purple gas leaked out of the ring and suddenly, Nino felt woozy. His grip was slipping as his eyes started to close before finally letting go, falling at least 50 feet in the air. Nino only remembered Adrien screaming his name before being caught by somebody.

~

Adrien should have never come back to Paris. Bad things happen when you come back to Paris. He should have stayed in his and Nino's little house. But he had to let Nino talk him into coming back. Now, he was flying in the air, in the arms of an Akumatized Lila Rossi who was calling herself 'Bridezilla' and he just watched his husband fall probably to his doom, if no one caught him, that is. 

"I can't wait until I finally put this ring on your finger, then you'll be forever mines!" Lila said. "I just have get rid of that bland ring on your finger !" Oh Adrien was so not in the mood.

"I made a promise to Nino to never take this ring off and I'm sure as hell not going to let a brat in a tacky dress force it off of me !" Adrien snapped. It was a bad idea to agitate your abductor but Adrien was way more pissed than he was scared. Lila only giggled.

"I could just use your other hand, silly, if you refuse to take that one off." She said. "Once I put this ring on your finger, you'll be mine and you won't be able to think of anyone but me !"

Great. A mind control ring. Just what Adrien needed. Lila or Bridezilla, soon spotted the Eiffel Tower.

"Oh Adrien, wouldn't it be so romantic if we were wed on the tip top of the Eiffel Tower?" Lila swooned. Well, this wouldn't be the first time Adrien was dragged to the top of the Eiffel Tower by an akumatized weirdo. Bridezilla flew to the very top of the Eiffel Tower, sitting Adrien down while humming 'Here comes the bride'. 

"Hold it right there !" A voice yelled. Adrien looked up to see Ladybug, swinging up using her yo-yo. Impeccable timing as always. 

"We haven't gotten to that part yet !" Bridezilla yelled, flinging a... garter belt at Ladybug ? Adrien felt like jumping off the Eiffel Tower headfirst. The garter belt managed to hit Ladybug in the face, knocking her back but she got back up and pounced at Bridezilla, the two starting to fight. Adrien then heard a 'psst'. He looked over to see Rena Rouge. Ladybug must've been the distraction while Rena freed him. Rena must've been Ladybug's new 'Chat Noir' to say. Her new permanent partner. Rena unwrapped the veil and picked Adrien up bridal style in one arm. Seriously, what was with them picking him up like some blushing bride ? Rena summoned her flute. 

"Going down !" She yelled and started to scale the building with her flute. 

"Couldn't we have went down to the elevator?!?" Adrien yelled, holding onto Rena tightly. 

"Where's the fun in that ?" Rena asked with a grin. As the two got closer to the bottom, Adrien turned over to Rena.

"Is my husband okay ?" He asked. 

"He's fine, I caught him before he could fall." Rena said. "He's knocked out though so we had to leave him at the hotel." Adrien let out a breath of relief. Nino was okay. Thank goodness. As they reached the bottom, Rena let him down. 

"You go to safety, Ladybug and I will handle your almost future wife up there." Rena said, winking at him. 

"Not funny." Adrien said before running off. He had to get back to Nino before Bridezilla spotted him again.

~

Nino woke up to a crowd of people surrounding him. He blinked and sat up. Was he... on a couch?

"Thank goodness sir, are you alright?" A man wearing a shit asked. "Rena Rouge put you here, I'm the hotel manager, do you need an ambulance?"

"No... No, I'm uh... I'm fine..." Nino said, holding his head as he sat up. "How long was I out ?"

"About a half an hour..." the manager said.

"And... you didn't think to call an ambulance when I WAS passed out ?" Nino asked. He then shook his head. "Nevermind, where's my husband?" He asked, sitting up. He tried stand up but he fell back onto the couch, dizzy, feeling himself slip back out of consciousness. Maybe he did need an ambulance.

~

Adrien was calling Nino's phone every 5 seconds but no answer. Nino usually picked up at the second ring if it was Adrien. That's how Andrien knew that something was wrong. The taxi Adrien was riding in soon stopped in front of the hotel. There was an ambulance outside. Adrien gave the driver his money and a generous tip before scrambling out, into the hotel, where he saw paramedics tending to Nino. Adrien let out a gasp before running to Nino.

"Nino !" He yelled. He looked at the paramedics. "Is he okay ?"

"Who are you ?" A paramedic asked.

"I'm his husband!" Adrien said. "And I need to know if he's going to be okay !"

Adrien heard a groan. He looked over at Nino, seeing him sit up. Adrien moved the paramedic out of the way and held Nino's hand. 

"Nino, Jesus Christ, you scared me." Adrien said, pulling Nino close to him.

"Adri...?" Nino asked. "I thought she took you...?"

"Rena Rouge helped me escape." Adrien said. "Are you okay ?" 

"I think that gas shit is wearing off." Nino said. "I still feel a little dizzy though."

"You had me scared to death." Adrien said, helping Nino stand. He looked at the paramedics. "I'm going to take him back to our room to rest, he's fine." He said, before moving on their way, supporting Nino all the way to the elevator, letting him lean on him. Adrien let out a sigh as they got in. This is why you don't come back to Paris. 

~

Adrien sat Nino down on the bed as gently as he could.

"Fucking hell Nino." Adrien said, sitting next to him. "You scared the shit out of me back there... please don't scare me like that again." He said, hugging Nino. 

"Hey, hey, calm down." Nino said, comforting him. "I'm alright babe, don't worry about me."

"You could've died !" Adrien snapped before frowning and looking away. "I'm sorry... It's just... you ran in there without thinking, we don't even have miraculouses anymore and you ran in headfirst to save me and it was dangerous, I could've lost you."

"Aww, Adri..." Nino tilted Adrien's face up. "I'm so sorry for worrying you." He said. 

"As long as you're okay." Adrien said, giving Nino a quick peck on the lips. "What do you say we hole ourselves in here until the news reports that Ladybug and Rena Rouge saved the day again ?" He asked. 

"Well, all this adrenaline does have me excited." Nino said. "Wanna have a quick round ?"

"How can you think of sex at a time like this?" Adrien asked, faking shock. 

"It'll help with my recovery." Nino fake whined with a pout. Adrien chuckled.

"We haven't had 'adrenaline sex' since we were stranded on the lake without a paddle." Adrien said.

"Will you ever let that go ?" Nino asked, crossing his arms.

"Never." Adrien said, wrapping his arm around Nino's shoulder, grinning and pressing a kiss on Nino's lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien goes through a change

"Are you sure you wanna do this ?" Nino asked, clippers in hand. "It did take you forever to grow this hair out, maybe there's another way."

"Cut it." Adrien insisted. "If I'm gonna be unrecognizable, I can't look like me, we should've did this before we came, but I assure you, I want it cut, I want to look like my name is 'Athanase' instead of 'Adrien' " Adrien said.

They were in Farah's home, in her bathroom. Nino and Adrien were temporarily hanging out there until they could get another hotel. After the incident, the media was lurking around their hotel, seeing if they could catch Adrien. So, Adrien decided to change his appearance, so that the chances of him being recognised were a minimum, using the clippers Farah used to cut Chris' hair and Nino's when he was young, before he learned how to cut his own hair.

"Give me an eyebrow slit too." Adrien said. 

"Alright, now you're just going overboard." Nino said. 

"Hey, I always wanted an eyebrow slit, my dad wouldn't let me have one cause he said I'd look like a delinquent." Adrien said.

"Whatever." Nino said as he began to get to work. "This'll be your new look."

"Trust me, I welcome it." Adrien said. "If I wanted to one up it, I would've dyed my hair."

"Thank goodness you didn't." Nino said. "Now hold still before I fuck up."

~

Farah and Chris sat in thw living room, waiting for Nino to reveal Adrien.

"Okay, before you say anything, I personally think I did a good job." Nino said.

"Just hurry up, I wanna see !' Chris said, impatiently moving in his seat. 

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on." Nino said before clearing his throat. "Lady and gentleman, may I present to you, Adrien Lahiffe." 

Nino moved out of the way as Adrien stepped in front of him. He had the sides of his head buzzed, the hair on top kept to a medium length. He was also wearing his reading glasses, stepping out in front of Farah and Chris.

"So." Adrien said. "What do you think ?" 

Farah and Chris were quiet. 

"You look like a hipster." Chris said. "Just without the beard."

"I like it." Farah said. "It's like you moved up from boy band to grown man."

"You sure I didn't take too much off of the sides?" Nino asked. "Looks a little too short."

"Well, I like it." Adrien said. "I feel brand new, like an entirely different person." He turned to Nino. "Now, what about you ?"

"I dunno, give myself a quick line up ?" Nino asked.

"You're no fun." Adrien said. 

"Fine, and an eyebrow slit." Nino said.

"Now you're just making fun of me." 

"I could wear a hijab and pose as a girl." Nino said playfully. "I already look like my mom, Umi let me borrow the beautiful peach colored hijab you have."

"Certainly not, that one is my favorite one." Farah said, huffing. 

"Well, too bad Adri." Nino teased. 

"Alright, I get it." Adrien said, hitting his shoulder playfully. "At least put on a different color hat."

"Of course, your highness." Nino said, rolling his eyes and walking back to the bathroom. Adrien crossed his arms and huffed.

"How do you put up with him ?" Chris asked. 

"Don't ask me how, I've just been able to since we were kids." Adrien said. "It's either a gift or I'm just madly in love with him..." he said with a sigh. 

~

After Nino had found them a new hotel, the two said their goodbyes to Farah and Chris, saying they'd see them soon, before getting in their waiting taxi with their bags. Adrien sat close to Nino, resting his head on his shoulder. 

"Before you ask, our new hotel room has a king sized bed." Nino said. 

"Perfect." Adrien said. "Now it'll feel like our bed back at home."

"We could've stayed at Mom's place instead of getting a new hotel, she says we're always welcome." Nino said. 

"And squeeze tight in your old twin bed like we used to in high school ?" Adrien asked.

"It'll be like old times." Nino said, nudging him.

"Those were the same old times, we were still in the closet and no one knew but your mom and my father only found out because Nathalie saw me kiss you on the cheek outside of my house and snitched." Adrien said. "I'm surprised he didn't try to break us up then."

"Maybe it was because you grew a backbone and stood up to him and actually yelled at him when he tried to interrupt you, because you were so passionate about our relationship." Nino said. 

"I almost died when I realized I yelled at my father." Adrien said. "I didn't really see him around the house for a few days after that... it was terrifying." 

"Yeah, you insisted that he was trying to find a hitman to kill me, you were more scared than that time your bodyguard almost caught us smoking the weed that Luka sold us, when you ditched fencing practice." Nino laughed and Adrien chuckled before relaxing into Nino's side.

"That wasn't as scary to me because I was higher than a plane and feeling good." Adrien said. 

"We should ask Alya if Luka is still around." Nino said. "He sold the best stuff, but Kim made the best edibles, I remember you ate a whole brownie cause you 'didn't feel anything' before a photoshoot and when you got there, you called me because you felt trippy as fuck."

"Don't remind me, the photographer actually liked the look because it was 'different' but I was just high, everyone called it the 'new look' and other models tried to replicate it. " Adrien said. 

Adrien laughed, resting his head on Nino's shoulder as Nino laughed with him. 

'Maybe the old days weren't so bad' Adrien thought. At least they gave them moments they could laugh at.

~

"I've got good news and bad news." Nino said, setting his suitcase on the hotel bed. "The bad news is that Luka, is on tour with Kitty Section so he won't be able to get us any buds but the good news is that Alya knows a guy and is willing to spot for us as long as I pay her back." Nino said. 

"Fine by me." Adrien said, putting his suitcase next to Nino's. "We haven't smoked in forever, I could honestly use it." Adrien said. Nino chuckled, moving their suitcases off of the bed and taking them to the closet. Adrien flopped on his back, onto the bed. Nino made his way over to him, crawling on top of him.

"Really, Nino ?" Adrien asked. "Right now ?"

"I can't help myself." Nino said, pressing a small kiss on Adrien's neck. "That haircut looks too good on you."

"You're just like a horny teenager again." Adrien said. Nino pressed a kiss on his lips.

"Except now, we don't have to be quiet or sneak around." Nino said into Adrien's ear before going back to kissing his neck. Adrien shuddered. Nino just knew the correct buttons to press to get Adrien going. 


	8. Chapter 8.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Nino meet someone who's gone through changes.

"This is nice." Adrien said, holding a crop top with a cat on it. He and Nino were at a boutique that carried both mens and women's clothing. Adrien thought it would be nice to get new clothes while they were at it, since they both had to drive at least thirty minutes to get new clothes or order them online back at their home. There weren't clothing and fashion shops around like there were in Paris.

"Since when did you like crop tops ?" Nino asked. 

"I always thought I'd look good in a crop top." Adrien said. "But of course, my father wouldn't wouldn't let me because 'they're for girls' " Adrien said, huffing. "Some fashion expert he is, cause men wore these all the time in the 80s and 90s and I could've been the one to bring them back."

"Get a crop top, some black skinny jeans and some converse, it'll go great with your new look." Nino said. "And I for one l, would love to see your bare midriff."

"Glad to know that I have a supportive husband." Adrien said, rolling his eyes as he looked though more clothes.

"Excuse me, might I assist you gentleman?" A small voice said. Adrien looked down to see a short redhead, with thick rimmed glasses looking up at them. Her nametag read, 'Sabrina'. "My wife and I own this boutique, but she's the fashion expert when it comes to these types things and I see you've taken a liking to our new selection of crop tops for males, my wife ordered them herself." 

"Pardon me, you look familiar." Nino said. "Did you happen to go to Collège Françoise Dupont ?"

"Why yes, I did !" Sabrina said. "Did you two go as well ?"

Before they could answer, they heard a voice from the back.

"Sabrina, Sweetie, do you know where the boxcutter is ? I need to open these new shoes I ordered !" The voice said.

"Just one minute, Chloe !" Sabrina called out. 

"Chloe..." Adrien said.

"Sabrina..." Nino said.

"It can't be..." they said simultaneously as a blonde, buxom woman came from the back of the store. Adrien knew that face anywhere. The woman approached Sabrina, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Are you two finding everything to your liking ?" She asked.

"Chloe Bourgeois ?!?" Nino asked. Chloe laughed.

"It's Chloe Raincomprix now." She said. "And you're Nino and Adrien." She crossed her arms with a smirk. Adrien was standing there in confusion, his eye twitching as he tried to process everything. Nino snapped his fingers in front of Adrien's face.

"Oh no, you broke Adrien." Nino said. 

"Hey, why don't we close up shop for a bit and we can explain everything ?" Chloe asked. "It's a slow day and you can explain everything to us on why you two suddenly just vanished, lunch is on me."

"That'd be great." Nino said, noticing that Adrien was still in a shocked state. "I'll pay for the clothes and hopefully, Adrien will snap out of this..."

~

"So that's basically it." Chloe said, sipping her coffee. "Mom flipped out that I was dating Sabrina, I left, used whatever money Papa gave me and we opened up a Boutique together." Chloe says. "It's called Uni-Que Boutique because it's both Unisex and Unique, Sabriba came up with the name." She hugged Sabrina and kissed her cheek while Sabrina's face turned red.

"So, all of your unwanted advances on Adrien throughout high school?" Nino asked. 

"My therapist said I was having some sort of internal struggle with the fact that I was indeed bisexual, so I tried to make myself seem overly straight so I wouldn't be found out because I feared my mother's reaction and not so much what others thought of me and I was trying to please my mother, so I was basically a bi in denial." Chloe said. "But, after Papa divorced her because she was an asshole to me about my sexuality and actually suggested sending me to the different type of therapy to 'cure my confusion', I've only been concerned with pleasing myself and Sabrina." Chloe said. 

"And when did you in fact start dating Sabrina ?" Adrien asked, slowly coming out of his shock.

"About the same time you two left, I came out to Chloe as a lesbian and confessed that I was in love with her and she started crying and saying how she was in love with me and the rest is history ." Sabrina said. "We just got married a couple of months ago and you guys should see the pictures, Chloe's dad went all out !" 

"Mom didn't turn up, but my therapist helped me get over that quickly." Chloe said. "But now she's trying to get back in contact with me because we're in the process of adopting a baby and now she wants to be a Grandma and that she's actually going to try to see someone about her narcissistic, arrogant, egotistical, neglectful and abusive behavior."

Adrien choked on his lemonade, coughing loudly as Nino rubbed his back. 

"That's a lot of issues." Adrien coughed out 

"That's great that you guys are having a kid, what are you adopting ?" Nino asked.

"We're adopting a one year old boy." Sabrina says. "His is Axel and once all of the paperwork is looked over, we should be able to take him home soon, he's so cute and he's such a sweetheart from the time we've spent with him." Sabrina took out her phone and showed them pictures of a chubby boy with light brown skin, dark hair and big brown eyes. Adrien's heart melted. 

"He's the reason why I'm going through therapy, besides Sabrina, of course." Chloe said. "I don't want to turn out like my mom, She was a terrible mother to me and a terrible wife to Papa, so I'm getting my issues sorted out." She said. "Do you and Nino want kids ?"

"Nino and I don't know if we want to adopt or do surrogacy yet." Adrien said, regaining himself. "It's a hard decision but we'll know soon enough." He said. "We've been wanting to hear the pitter patter of little feet on the floor for a while now and I feel you on not wanting to turn out like your parent." He said. One of his worst fears was turning out like his father and treating his child how his father treated him.

"You two should totally do adoption." Chloe said. "There's always a kid without a home that could use one."

"That's why it's one of our top considerations." Nino said. "So, Chloe, your dad's the mayor, is Gabriel Agreste still-"

"-Still pestering to have you two found and running my papa and the police force ragged ? Yes." Chloe said. "Though recently, since rumors say you're back, he's been hiring people to look out for you in the streets."

"Well, I might be dyeing my hair after all." Adrien joked, jabbing Nino in the side. Nino only chuckled and shook his head. 

"So about your dad." Sabrina said. "I'm guessing he's the reason why you two just up and left."

"Yeah..." Adrien said. "He never really approved of our relationship but he tried to send me away and that was the last straw."

"Why didn't you just leave his house ?" Chloe asked. "You were 18, you could've moved anywhere in Paris."

"And have him pester me and say that Nino brainwashed me or lock me away in my room against my will ?" Adrien asked. "I had to get away from him, far away and I don't regret it, we have a wonderful life and new friends."

"As long as you're happy and content with your life, that's all that matters." Sabrina said. 

"You guys ever think you'll move back ?" Chloe asked.

"Who knows, maybe one day." Adrien said, shrugging his shoulders. "But right now, no."

"Well at least come visit, I'll give you all discounts on clothes." Chloe said. "Or I'll at least send you some for a low price and when you two have a kid, you guys can get their clothes for free." She said. "It's the least I could do, after how horrible I acted back then."

"Chloe, you don't have to do that." Nino said.

"Believe me, I want to." Chloe said with a smile. "Oh, you two should get back in contact with Nathaniel and Marc, they're getting married soon and they'd probably want you to come to the wedding."

"I dunno, we were never that close to Nathaniel and Marc." Adrien said. "We talked but we didn't hang out."

"I'm sure they'd both love for you to come still." Sabrina said. "Just send them a message on Instagram."

"We'll think about it later." Nino said, as he saw the waiter come in with their food. "Right now, let's eat !"

Adrien suddenly felt his stomach growl as the waiter made his way over. Adrien and Nino couldn't believe that they were actually having a great time with Chloe. Maybe they weren't the only ones that were capable of going through changes. People did change. Which had Adrien thinking. Maybe his father had changed? Maybe he saw the error of his behavior towards Adrien, changing his ways that made Adrien run away in the first place. Adrien felt conflicted. Maybe... he would call his father. Just to see if he had made an effort to change.


	9. Chapter 9.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien might be OOC. Idk. I kinda rushed it. Idc.

Adrien laid in bet next to Nino, staring at the ceiling. It was 2 in the morning. Adrien got out of bed, leaning over and pressing a kiss on Nino's cheek. Nino stirred a little.

"I'll be back later, kay ?" He whispered in Nino's ear. "I'm going for a walk."

"Mhm, okay." Nino mumbled. "Take your phone with you." He said before falling back to sleep. Adrien put on one of Nino's hoodies before grabbing his phone and the room key and heading out. Adrien sighed as he walked to the elevator, getting on and pressing the button to close the doors. As the elevator carried him to the lobby, he leaned against the wall, thinking about the conversation they had with Chloe and Sabrina the other day. They would be going home soon. Maybe he should give his father another chance. Or at least text him. Now that he thought about it, he had so many loose ends to tie up that he hadn't gotten the chance to tie up. He had so many things that he had to say to Kagami, he had to get in contact with Ladybug and possibly get in contact with his father. He knew he should not have been doing this alone. But he felt like it was something he had to do. He didn't know how he could get in contact with Ladybug since he didn't have a communicator anymore. He sighed in frustration. There had to be another way. As the elevator let him out in the empty lobby, stepping off of the elevator. He had to walk the streets. He had to clear his mind. 

~

He had been out for no more than thirty minutes, walking through the back alleys where he used to patrol as Chat Noir. He even managed to find the building of the old roof top where he and Ladybug would meet. He knew it was stupid but he used a dumpster and a fire escape to climb up. Once he got up there, he stood there in awe. He forgot how beautiful the view of Paris was from up there. It brought a smile to his face. He sighed dreamily as he sat on the ledge. Just like old times. He quickly took out his phone and snapped a new picture, to show Nino later, although it was better to see the sight in person. Adrien figured it was time to head back, standing up and going back to the fire escape. As he started to climb down, he heard a thud on the rooftop. What was it? An animal? He then heard a loud sigh and a quiet 'what am I going to do?'. His curiosity got the best of him and he peeked over. His eyes widened. Just his luck ! It was Ladybug but... she looked sad. She was holding something. Adrien pulled himself up as he quietly walked toward her. She was obviously lost in thought.

"Hey." Adrien said. That obviously startled her as she snapped back to look at him, her shoulders hitching up.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "It's pretty late Mr...." Ladybug started.

"Mr Lahiffe." Adrien said. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to head here for the view."

"I see." Ladybug said. "To tell you the truth, I couldn't sleep either." She said softly.

"I actually wanted to talk to you." Adrien said. "It's really important."

"If it's about the other day where you were kidnapped, it's no problem-"

"-I'm Chat Noir."

There was an awkward silence between the two as Ladybug let out a soft gasp 

"At least, I was Chat Noir." Adrien said. He looked down. "I know, it was irresponsible for me to leave my duties, but I had to." He said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry but... after thinking about it, I'm not sorry."

"Wait- I don't understand." Ladybug said. "You really were... and you just... you left Paris, you abandoned your miraculous-" Ladybug opened her hand, revealing that she was holding the cat miraculous. Adrien gasped softly. "-you left me with the job to replace you, which I haven't been able to, you didn't think how I would feel-"

"-And that's why I'm not sorry." Adrian said. "All the times where I was going through a dilemma, you only managed to think about yourself and the burden I've been on you." He said. "Remember that time you snapped at me and said it was 'easy being me' when I had trouble being you ?" Adrien asked. "That was the day you broke my heart... I stopped falling for you and then luckily I met my husband, who you knew as Carapace and my heart stopped hurting." He said. "It was never easy being me, being Chat Noir, being a 15 year old who was given the power to destroy and cause chaos, given the power to kill, only to be treated like a second rate sidekick instead of your equal, which was what I was supposed to be, hell, if you ever talked down to me and I got akumatized as Chat Noir, I could probably destroy everyone if I wanted to, but I didn't, because I was just that loyal, even when I turned tail and denounced my miraculous because I hurt, no, killed, when I killed Uncanny Valley, I came back to Paris, to you !" He ranted. "I was only a burden to you and even now, I'm a burden because you have to find a new Chat Noir." He said. Adrien felt hot tears sting his eyes. "I was a burden to you and I was a burden to my father. Everyone I cared about treated me like a burden or just another handsome face who was meant to be wooed and when I showed my true self in Chat Noir, instead of my 'perfect Adrien Agreste' self, I was unliked and always expected to be perfect, I was never allowed to make mistakes." Adrien said. "The only thing I'll ever sincerely apologize for is pushing my unwanted feelings onto you for the first two years after our superhero career... I hated when girls did it to me, so I don't know why I did it to you, I was young and stupid and just desperately looking for affection from the person I admired the most at that time, I apologize for that because it was wrong and I do still care about you, Bugga-Boo, I really do." He said his voice breaking as he turned away to the fire escape. He didn't want her to see him cry. "Please feed Plagg plenty of camembert and whoever you give that ring to... don't treat them like you treated me." Adrien started climbing down the fire escape. He didn't hear a noise from Ladybug.Not a word. He assumed that she was in shock, trying to process everything. At least she wasn't trying to follow him and at least he got that off of his chest even though he had so much more to say to her, he decided that was enough. It felt good, despite the hot tears running down his cheeks. He was so sick of being reserved, being quiet about his true feelings.Adrien sighed and sniffled, taking out his phone. He started to send a text Chloe. He had to get the name of her therapist or ask for her help to pick out his own nearby therapist when he got home. His issues and bottled up emotions were way out of control now and he needed to get them in check. He needed help.

~

Adrien entered his and Nino's hotel room at 3 in the morning, his eyes red and puffy but luckily the dark concealed them. Nino was still sleeping, snoring softly. Adrien put his phone and their room key on the dresser before stripping out of his clothes and crawling into bed. He cuddled close to Nino. He even rubbed his nose against Nino's to wake him up a little. Nino stirred slightly.

"Hm ? You're back ?" He asked in a sleepy tone. "How was your walk ?"

"I'll tell you about it in the morning." Adrien said. "Right now, can you just hold me ?" He asked. "I think I just need you to hold me tight right now so I can sleep soundly."

"Sure babe, whatever you want." Nino said, wrapping his arms around Adrien's waist, resting his chin on his head and pulling him close. Adrien rested his head on Nino's chest as he closed his eyes, feeling soothed by Nino's heartbeat and breathing, soon be lulled to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his outburst on Ladybug, Adrien needs to chill. Alya and Nino have the perfect remedy.

"So, you basically had an emotional outburst on Ladybug ?" Nino asked, tilting his head. Adrien nodded. "And you think that emotional outburst has deeper roots connected to deeper emotional issues that you've basically pushed deep down inside of you ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded. "So you think you need to see a therapist to solve these issues ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded. "Well, you have my support." Nino said. "If you really think to live a happier life, you have to get through these issues by talking to a professional, I'm supportive of you and will be by your side the entire way."

"What did I do to deserve you ?" Adrien asked with a sigh, leaning against Nino. The two were currently in their hotel room. They had just finished lunch, that they got from room service and after that, Adrien had told Nino about what happened last night, much to Nino's shock. 

"Hey, I got something that'll make you feel better, It is nature's best medicine, after all." Nino said, pulling away from Adrien. Adrien tilted his head as Nino pulled away to dig something out of his carrier bag. Nino soon came up with a little baggie. There were some rolled joints in the baggie.

"Where did you get it ?" Adrien asked.

"I told you, Alya had the hook-up." Nino said. "She said we can't smoke it till later though, she wants to meet up at our old smoke spot and smoke it together, I'm holding it for her till she gets off of work."

"What's the strain ?" Adrien asked.

"Zkittlez." Nino said. "Alya and I used to smoke this all the time when we were dating, it'll make you feel real relaxed and happy but it gets Alya talking about conspiracy theories." 

"You used to smoke without me ?" Adrien asked. "And you even had your own smoking spot ?" Adrien asked. "I'm hurt, Nino, keeping secrets from your own husband." He said, dramatically. "I am shocked and betrayed."

"She was my girlfriend at the time, don't be hurt dude and we weren't able to have our own smoke spot cause you had a bodyguard following you 24/7, we always had to switch up." Nino said, kissing his cheek. Adrien only playfully huffed before giving Nino a soft kiss on his lips. 

~

"So, are we all getting our own joint or is it gonna be puff puff pass ?" Nino asked, sitting down.

"There's 4, we will get our own and if you feel like more, there's one for puff puff pass." Alya said.

Nino and Alya had taken Adrien to their old, secret smoke spot which was just the roof of a 1 level abandoned building that used to be a dance studio. They only had to climb on top of a dumpster to get up there. They had all taken a uber there and had planned to uber back later. 

"I'm surprised they haven't torn this place down yet." Alya said. "I can't believe they haven't demolished or remodeled it." 

"How'd you guys even find this place?" Adrien asked. Nino and Alya looked at each other. Nino bit his lip and Alya looked uneasy.

"Hey, he already knows about me, maybe he should know about you." Nino said. "Besides, I'm not about that life anymore and it's not like she's gonna magically know and take yours away."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asked. Alya sighed and shrugged.

"Why not ? Nino's the only one who knows, I trust you and the smoke spot is a safe haven so whatever is said here, stays here." Alya said.

"Come on Alya, spit it out so we can get to smoking." Adrien said.

"Don't get smart with me." Alya said. She then took a deep breath. "I'm Rena Rouge." 

Adrien's eyes widened.

"Oh wow..." Adrien said. 

"Yeah, Nino and I found this place when we separated from Ladybug on patrol since she was kinda being... well, a bitch for some reason and we took off." Alya said. "Then we found this place and decided to make it the smoke spot." 

"Well, you wanna hear something shocking?" Adrien asked. "I was Chat Noir." Adrien said. Alya gasped.

"You're fucking with me." Alya said, mouth wide open, eyes widened.

"I've never been one to fuck with people." Adrien said.

"He also had an emotional meltdown on Ladybug last night." Nino said. "Which is why we're smoking."

"Really ?" Alya asked, looking at Nino and then at Adrien. "What'd you say to her ?"

"Basically brought up the fact that she treated me like shit when we were supposed to be partners." Adrien said. "I wanted nothing more than to please her and she just treated me like a burden, like I was nothing more than a second rate sidekick."

"She has a problem with that." Alya says. "Even sometimes with me, she gets a little bossy and mean as hell when you don't do things her way."

"That's tough, especially since you're kind of Adrien's replacement as a partner, so sorry we left you to deal with that bullshit." Nino said, opening up the baggie, passing out joints. Alya already had her lighter out and lit hers before passing her lighter to Adrien.

"It's fine Nino, you get used to it and learn how to tune her out after a while but she seems extra mean sometimes ever since you two left." Alya said. 

Adrien quickly lit his joint and passed the lighter back to Alya, Alya lighting Nino's for him. They all took deep inhales, Adrien coughing a little. 

"Babe, did you just cough ?" Nino asked. 

"Give me a break, it's been a while since I last smoked." Adrien said, waving Nino off.

"You must have baby lungs." Alya said. 

"Oh fuck off." Adrien said, playfully. After a few more hits, Adrien was starting to feel something. Like a sense of euphoria.

~

"I've never loved twinkies more than I do now." Adrien said, biting into one. After they all got good and baked, they started to feel the munchies. Luckily, Alya came prepared, having brought an assortment of snacks in her bag.

"You know, my dad never let me have twinkies?" Adrien asked. "Him and Nathalie always made me watch what I ate, I couldn't have shit." 

"Yeah, I know." Nino said. 

"Well, now you're a grown ass man, so you can have as many twinkies as you want." Alya said. 

"I want all of the twinkies in the entire word." Adrien said, gasping. "I wanna be King of Twinkies !"

Nino had to laugh. Never did he think that Adrien would be this out of it. Maybe it was the strain they were smoking. Nino never gave Adrien anything other than OG Kush in the past, so maybe this was why his reaction was so different. 

"Can I be royal advisor of twinkies?" Alya asked. "Nonono, wait, I wanna be Queen of Honeybuns instead !"

"Yes, then our children shall marry and unite our kingdoms, becoming ultimate rulers of snacks !" Adrien said, as he and Alya burst into a fit of giggles.

"Nino !" Adrien called out. "Come here !" He said. "Your husband beckons you to come closer!"

Yeah, Adrien was out of it. Nino moved closer to Adrien as Adrien wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Nino, guess what." Adrien said.

"What ?" Nino asked. Adrien kissed him. 

"I love you." Adrien said, bursting out in a fir of giggles.

"You are high off your ass." Nino said, as Adrien buried his face in the crook of his neck. "You better not be getting sleepy on me."

"You're comfy." Adrien mumbled. "I just wanna cuddle you forever."

"Stop being gross." Alya called out. "Get a room."

"I wish we could." Adrien said. "So that Nino can fuck me, as perfect as he always does."

"Adrien !" Nino said, cheeks going red.

"I dont wanna know about your sex life." Alya said, making a disgusted face. "You almost blew my high."

"Oh hush up." Adrien said, burying his face in the crook of Nino's neck. He hadn't felt that good in a while and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

~

Adrien opened his eyes. He yawned. When had he fallen asleep ? He looked around to see that they were still at the smoke spot and that the sun was setting. He was leaning up against Nino, who was also sleeping. Nino was using his backpack to support himself while they both used their jackets as blankets. He looked to see Alya, who was also sleeping across from them, using her purse as a pillow and her jacket as a blanket. The sun seemed to be setting. He nudged Nino awake. Nino groaned and shifted.

"5 more minutes." Nino whined.

"Babe, it's getting late and I'd prefer it if we slept in our hotel bed and not a roof of an abandoned building." Adrien said, nudging his husband, kissing his cheek. Nino sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Fine, fine, we'll all split an uber and go back." Nino said, stretching and yawning, pulling out his phone. Adrien went over to Alya, shaking her awake.

"Fuck off." Alya whined.

"Fine, but you're gonna get left." Adrien said. "We're heading back to our hotel."

Alya groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Fine, I'm up."

"She's always so grumpy when she's sleepy." Nino said. "It's cute."

"That it is." Adrien said. "She's like a toddler who curses people out."

"I will punt the both of you off this roof." Alya said, reaching into her purse and tossing some perfume and mints at Adrien and Nino. "Mask the smell and get rid of your weed breath."

"Vanilla-Cherry perfume? Don't you have something else ?" Nino asked. 

"No. Put it on." Alya said. 

"I think it smells wonderful." Adrien said, spritzing himself with the perfume, before giving it to Nino who reluctantly spritzed it on. Adrien popped a mint into his mouth. 

"Thanks Al, it's rare to have Nino smell like something other than Old Spice." Adrien said. 

"Keep the bottle, I have more." Alya said, taking out her phone. 

"I thought you liked my Old Spice smell ?" He asked.

"I do but this smells way better." Adrien said. "It smells so sweet on you."

"Is everyone good ?" Alya asked. "Cause I just ordered the Uber now."

"Yeah, we're good." Nino said, wrapping his arm around Adrian's shoulder. "I hope Ladybug didnt need you while we were out smoking."

"There's other Miraculous holders, she'd have called Monkey King or Pegasus or whoever, she'd be fine without me for one day." Alya said stretching. "She likes to act like she can handle it all by herself any other time."

"Ain't that the truth." Adrien said, letting out a sigh.

~

Adrien and Nino were getting out of the Uber they had split with Alya. Alya had got out first at her house and the Uber drive Nino and Adrien all the way back to their hotel. Adrien gave the driver a tip and thanked her before entering the hotel with Nino, making their way to the elevator, stepping on and closing the doors.

"Are you relaxed now ?" Nino asked. Adrien nodded. 

"Yeah, now I feel all sorts of loose." Adrien said. "Now I just wanna cuddle in bed with you and watch a movie for the rest of the night, you were right about that strain."

The elevator doors opened and Nino and Adrien exited, walking down the hallway, making their way to their room.

"Told you I knew my strains." Nino said. "You just always have to trust me."

"Of course I trust you, I trust you with everything." Adrien said, pulling out their room key and unlocking the door, opening it and coming inside. 

"Wait, I think I had the room key?" Nino asked, following his husband.

"Oh, I didn't trust you with it so I took it from you when we were smoking." Adrien said, shrugging his jacket off.

"Oh, but you trust me with everything." Nino said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I do trust you with everything." Adrien said, walking over to Nino, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. "Just not with small things we need, you always lose them, like how you lost the last room key, and how you lost the spare key to your mom's house she gave us, which, by the way, I found in the bathroom for some reason."

Nino was quiet for a second as he thought about it. Yeah, he really did lose a lot of stuff sometimes and Adrien always found them. 

"On second thought, yeah, it's best for you to keep the important stuff on you." Nino said. Adrien chuckled and kissed his husband's cheek. 

"Told you so."


End file.
